The Babydoll phenomenon: how Jamie Miller’s song got the world dancing – and put Wales back on top

It has been 40 years since a Welsh man topped the UK charts. Now a little-known singer has done it again, with the help of the year’s biggest earworm

OK. Appearance? Everywhere. TikTok, Insta, all your socials. Also on the radio, if you still do that.

I call it the wireless. A song, right? More than a song, but we’ll come to that too. But yes, a song, currently No 1 in the UK singles charts, by Jamie Miller.

That name rings a bell. He was on The Voice in 2017.

From Wales, no? From Wales, yes! He grew up in Pontprennau in the north of Cardiff. Now he’s the first Welsh solo male artist to top the singles chart since …

Tom Jones? Not quite that far back. No, since Shakin’ Stevens’ festive hit Merry Christmas Everyone in 1985.

So after The Voice, Jamie’s career took off? Not really. He only came third, for a start. And even the aforementioned Sir Tom didn’t “spin his chair” for his fellow Welshman. Since then he’s played venues such as The Globe in Cardiff, and brought out a few records, but he has hardly taken the world by storm. He was considering quitting music altogether.

Until now, and Babydoll? Sort of. It was originally released in early August.

A slow burn, as they say. Correct, though now smoking hot. It really got going after Jennifer Love Hewitt posted videos of herself singing along and doing the dance routine.

How do I do it? Start with a chug, stepping on your right foot, raising your left knee and heel, then switching sides. Do eight of them, while rolling your shoulders.

[Chugging, kind of.] Got it! Next you’re going to go out with your right foot, and back, then out with the left, and back, and so on. Times eight again, while popping your arms.

This is getting complicated. Maybe it would be easier if you found a tutorial video.

[Having found a tutorial video] OK, now I’m pulling my arm up, with a little finger-click, five, six, seven, eight … Maybe I’m too old for Babydoll. Nonsense. Look around, everyone’s doing it: the very young, very old, dogs, more slebs …

Who? Antonio Cipriano (off Off Campus), who recorded a version with Miller. And Alison Hammond did it, with Miller – very well, until she fell over a boulder and injured her wrist.

I knew it was dangerous. Anyway, are we declaring it a viral dance craze? To the extent that Miller and Cipriano were on Strictly at the weekend, doing it with the entire cast.

I’d call that viral. It’s really catching on. “If you’re gonna leave me broken-hearted / Then maybe, baby, we should just get started …”

Don’t say: “And now shall we do … the Macarena?”